Hostile - JB's Dudley - 15th February 2009

Blimey a posse... not only a full contingent from Chopmusic, but our long lost gig buddy back from Scotland too...

Demise are from Wednesbury and were playing their second gig having formed eight months ago. If they continue to play this tightly (and start playing more originals) they could well be worth keeping an eye on. They are from the thrash/extreme metal world, and as good as their covers were, their original material was far better. Technically they were very proficient, despite their tender years, with two guitarists who were prepared to shred. Obviously they need to work on their stage presence but that will come with time and more gigs. “This Hatred” and “Female” were the original tracks and they're more than promising. One Pantera and two Megadeth covers completed their set. Set list; “This Hatred”, “Hangar 18”, “Female”, “Peace Sells”, “Fucking Hostile”.

Martyr de Mona were the band we'd come to see tonight, and, despite a poor sound, they didn't disappoint. The more I see this band, the more I like them, and the more I feel they need to be on bigger stages. Good as they are on the pub circuit, they really come into their own when they've got a stage to work. Confident, classy and dynamic, they are a band who should be playing this size of venue, and larger, far more frequently. It was clear they'd been around the circuit for a while, hopefully this year will see them progress to where they belong. If you like hard-edged classic rock, with a stadium feel, then there are very few better at the moment. Stone Temple Pilots' “Meat Plow” was the only cover, and, like their original material, worked well. “Eva” has been re-vamped recently and is now more aggressive whilst still being hugely melodic. In the not too distant future this song could well be their encore and the one that people come to hear. Can't fault the musicianship, stage presence was spot on, but most importantly they enjoyed what they were doing immensely. Go and see them live as soon as you can - I strongly suspect they will graduate to the theatre and subsequently arena circuits soon. Stylish fellas – always a pleasure to see you play! Set list; “Mind Ruined Bodies”, “Am I Sorry?”, “Identity”, “Eva”, “Meat Plow”, “Divide Et Impera”, “Try To Mend”, “In Our Defence”.

Hostile have underwhelmed me every time I've seen them. Tonight's faster material was a vast improvement and enjoyable. Regrettably there were still too many moments when I was wincing or laughing. “Avenger” should never see the light of day again, and the penultimate track “Suicide” was aptly named. The former combines every cliché that metal has ever seen (apart from Stonehenge dropping from the rafters – but I guess that will happen soon) whilst the latter was a twelve string guitar acoustic number accompanied by teeth-rattling vocals. These tracks seemed to last weeks and need to be dropped now. Pity really because the rest of the set was very good. They were a lot tighter as a band, played a hybrid of classic metal and thrash, and had two guitarists who were happy shredding. Machine Head's “Davidian” was a welcome inclusion too. Drop the aforementioned songs, burn the leather jacket with plastic chains, and they could be a force in time. Rhythm section was tight, guitarists were fine, and the stage presence was good. Cut out the Spinal Tap moments and who knows? Lead and backing vocals are still a major issue though. I strongly suspect the following are not full song titles, however... Set list; “Days”, “Dread”, “Davidian”, “Avenger”, “No Way”, “Death”, “Losing”, “Brutal”, “Firestorm”, “Suicide”, “Eyes”.

For more pictures of this gig click here.